Major League Baseball draft to be broadcast live in primetime from Secaucus studio

Robert Benson/US PresswireSan Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg could be picked No. 1 overall by the Washington Nationals in the MLB draft.

Live from New Jersey Tuesday night: the Major League Baseball draft.

Baseball will hold its amateur draft for the first time at MLB Network studios in Secaucus, turning a historically low-key gathering into a primetime television event. The draft will be televised from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with the Washington Nationals likely selecting San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg with the No. 1 overall pick.

Before 2007, MLB conducted the draft on a conference call. But the event has evolved over the past two years to become more like the NBA and NFL drafts.

The 2007 and 2008 drafts were held in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and shown live on ESPN2 in the afternoon. With the launch of MLB Network this season, baseball decided to move the draft through the primetime slot.

"There's so few things left in the sports media realm that are under-covered, and the more we looked into this one, this certainly fits that," said John Entz, MLB Network's senior vice president of production. "The excitement around draft time is huge in other sports, and we think there's that potential here."

Tuesday's portion of the draft will include the first three rounds and two compensation rounds for a total of 111 picks. The remainder of the draft will be conducted via conference call Wednesday and Thursday.

The Yankees have the 29th pick in the first round. The Mets don't have a pick until the second round -- No. 72 overall. They forfeited their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Angels when they signed closer Francisco Rodriguez last offseason.

Each team will have designated draft representatives on hand, a group that will include four Hall of Famers -- Al Kaline (Tigers), Billy Williams (Cubs), Bill Mazeroski (Pirates) and Tommy Lasorda (Dodgers).

Former closer John Franco will represent the Mets. Former first baseman Tino Martinez will represent the Yankees.

The amateurs selected in the draft will be far less recognizable, which Entz said gives MLB Network an opportunity to "educate viewers" on both the players and the draft process.

"In other drafts, you might have, shall we say, an oversaturation of coverage," Entz said. "In this one, no one's saying that. They want to know more." Follow me on Twitter at Ledger_NYMets.